7-time grand slam champion Justine Henin believes
Novak Djokovic won't be as dominant as he used to in the new season.
The reason why Henin, a big Novak Djokovic admirer, thinks that way is because of the slow rise of the younger players. Several players have demonstrated themselves capable of beating Djokovic in huge matches such as Medvedev in New York and Zverev at the Olympics. Tsitsipas came very close in the Roland Garros final and Henin thinks they will take a step further in 2022.
Speaking on that she said:
“Daniil Medvedev is taking off. Zverev, I thnk is ready to go for a grand slam. Obviously we’ll still have to see how he does over the five-set
question, but you get the feeling that at some point, it’s going to work
out for him. He has taken on a new dimension. Medvedev and Zverev have established themselves as the
most dangerous rivals. There will be the return of [Rafael] Nadal.
Obviously, Dominic Thiem will be back. We’re happy to see these players
back."
She then turned her attention specifically to Novak Djokovic saying:
“And Novak Djokovic? What about his desire? We always have the
feeling that Novak Djokovic’s appetite keeps growing. Will it continue
like this? It is very difficult to say. He will still want to win. He
certainly needs to recharge his batteries now. It’s been a tough
season. He knows who is going to get opportunities, so maybe he won’t be
as dominant as he used to be. At least, that’s what we can assume."
She would not count him out though:
“But Novak
Djokovic, he’s full of surprises, sometimes hard to figure out,
sometimes hard to predict. And so, it’s going to be a really exciting
2022 season.”